Conventionally, portions of the body of an automobile (e.g., pieces of metal framework, panels, and/or similar materials) are provided with a desired visual appearance (e.g., color, reflectiveness, a glossy/metallic sheen, etc.) through the application of paint to an exterior surface thereof. After application, the paint must be permitted to dry, which can be facilitated through the application of air and/or heat, or simply permitted to occur via the passage of time. Optionally, a protective, clear coating, such as a painted coating and/or an adhesive film, can be provided over the paint. When it is desired to change the color of a vehicle, the original paint must be removed (e.g., through solvents and/or physical/mechanical means), and the process must be repeated. Both the application of an original color to a vehicle, and the alteration of that original color, can be time-consuming and expensive processes. As such, after the initial purchase of a vehicle, individuals are inclined to repaint their vehicles only rarely. Many individuals refrain from repainting and/or customizing the exterior colors and/or other visual and/or tactile aspects of their vehicle entirely, and simply retain a single cosmetic appearance and/or texture throughout the life of the vehicle.
Due to the time required to paint an automobile and permit the paint to dry, the application of paint to cars and/or other vehicles can become a bottle-neck in the assembly process of vehicles, significantly increasing the overall manufacturing time required to produce a vehicle, while occupying machinery and/or space in a manner that can slow or limit the overall number of vehicles that can be manufactured simultaneously. For example, a typical process for manufacturing a painted vehicle includes manufacturing body portions of a vehicle at a press shop and/or body shop, producing what is termed a “body in whites,” due to the materials (e.g., steel, aluminum, alloys, carbon composites, plastic, fiberglass, and/or other composite materials) that provide the body portions with a white and/or silver color. The body portions are subsequently transported to a paint shop, where they are dipped in a positively-charged protective dip intended to attract and/or absorb protective coats and sealants, then brushed. Subsequent to this step, the body portions are transported to a color shop, where manual or automated equipment can be used to paint each portion a selected color, typically using acrylic enamels or similar types of paint. Many large vehicle manufacturers consume an estimated 18,000 liters of paint per day or more through this process. The painted body portions must be dried, typically for multiple hours at high temperatures (e.g., approximately 140 degrees Fahrenheit), which slows the manufacturing process and associated throughput. It is estimated that approximately one third of the total capital investment in a facility for production of automobiles relates to painting vehicle body panels and other portions.
The application of multiple layers of pigmented paints to automobile body portions requires elaborate facilities, large spaces, and significant expense. For example, a sizeable area with sufficient floor space for one or multiple vehicles must be maintained, in a clean-room environment, to allow the spraying of paint and clear coat, and the baking and curing of these components. Additionally, disposal, drainage, evaporation, and/or runoff of many solvent-based paints and related solutions has become of increasing environmental concern and/or subject to one or more regulations.
Because the color of a vehicle can only be modified through time-consuming and costly procedures, consumers restrict purchases of vehicles to those having a preferred color, shifting the burden of this expense and inconvenience to manufacturers and dealers. Vehicle manufacturers and dealers must maintain a sizeable inventory of vehicles, of various models, each in multiple colors, increasing the cost of manufacture, as generally identical vehicles that differ only in cosmetic appearance must be constructed and stored for future purchase. This practice also creates a significant overhead expense in the form of large warehouses and dealership lots necessary to store a large number of vehicles, transportation costs required to move such vehicles, and the logistical difficulties inherent in moving and/or acquiring vehicles of a preferred color/appearance/texture at a given location not currently in stock at the request of a consumer.
A need exists for an efficient and cost-effective system and method for altering the color and/or visual appearance, and/or the tactile/texture/feel of a vehicle, or any other object or surface, thereby reducing lost time, reducing expense, increasing manufacturing productivity, and reducing or eliminating many of the difficulties inherent in maintaining and transporting inventories, while providing consumers with the ability to flexibly alter characteristics of their vehicle or any other surface, repeatedly.